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U.S. NEWS Friday 26 OctOber 2018

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19th case confirmed in

viral outbreak that killed 7

By MIKE CATALINI strains also cause diarrhea including how and when
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New and conjunctivitis. families were notified.
Jersey health officials said The strain found in the re- Health officials said they
Thursday tests confirmed a hab center outbreak is have teams at the facility
19th patient has been in- among the more potent monitoring the infection,
fected in a viral outbreak types. It sometimes causes and the center has closed
at a pediatric rehabilitation more serious respiratory ill- to new patients. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks about the adenovirus
center that has killed seven ness, especially among The 227-bed for-profit facil- outbreak as New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner
people. those with weak immune ity has a pediatric center Dr. Shereef Elnahal looks during a press conference at the The
The unidentified person systems. and also cares for elderly Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on Wednesday,
had already been ill so the Many of the children at residents.q Oct. 24, 2018 in Wanaque, N.J. Associated Press
diagnosis does not neces- the facility require venti-
sarily mean the virus is still lators for breathing, and
spreading, according to some have spent all or
Health Department spokes- most of their lives there,
woman Donna Leusner. the commissioner said. He
The outbreak won't be de- described the patients as
clared over until the Wa- "fragile."
naque Center for Nursing It's unlikely that there's a
and Rehabilitation can go broader threat, he said.
four weeks without any new Rowena Bautista, the cen-
cases of people being in- ter's administrator, said
fected with a type of germ Thursday in a statement the
called adenovirus 7, Health community "feels a tremen-
Commissioner Dr. Shereef dous sense of loss."
Elnahal said this week . She also said the center
The seven people who died is working with the state
this month were children Health Department and
and at least one young the Centers for Disease
adult, all in a respiratory Control and Prevention in
unit where patients receive addition to offering profes-
long-term help with breath- sional grief counselors and
ing. setting up a 24-7 hotline.
The identities of those who The number is being shared
died and the affected pa- with families, but not the
tients have not been dis- public.
closed. Elnahal said the first symp-
Adenovirus usually poses toms showed up Sept. 26,
little risk for healthy people and the state was notified
and typically causes mild of an outbreak Oct. 9.
cold or flu symptoms, in- The center did not provide
cluding sore throats, fever, new details on the timeline
coughs and sneezes. Some of the events at the center,